THE STRAND HO­TEL New York, NY

Our best ad­vice for a won­der­ful New York night: grab a cor­ner booth and or­der Co­rian­der Crusted Lamb Rack, then pro­ceed past the vin­tage Condé Nast prints to the el­e­va­tor and emerge on the rooftop for af­ter din­ner drinks with the Em­pire State Build­ing watch­ing over you.

The Strand Bistro Chef Ja­son Til­man un­der­went the culi­nary equiv­a­lent of Navy Seal train­ing, work­ing with Iron Chef Mo­ri­moto and David Burke be­fore rack­ing up Best New Restau­rant Awards for venues he opened solo.